1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toilet fixtures for the disposal of human waste, and more particularly to such toilet fixtures that utilize a combination of air and water to dispose of such wastes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A search of the prior art related to this subject indicates that such prior art is located in Class 4. A search in this area has revealed the existence of six (6) United States patents as follows, U.S. Pat. Nos.:
3,720,962 PA1 3,968,526 PA1 3,698,019 PA1 3,566,415 PA1 3,214,772 PA1 3,643,265
Referring to the listed patents, it is noted that U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,772 is primarily concerned with a straight flush-type toilet as distinguished from a toilet fixture that utilizes air and water in combination to effect discharge of waste products.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,415 teaches the broad concept of utilizing the combination of water and air to flush waste products through a toilet fixture but the specific structure taught by this patent appears to be significantly different from the structure forming the subject matter of this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,265 also teaches the broad concept of the utilization of air and water to effect the discharge of waste products, but the structure taught by this patent involves the use of flexible inner and outer bags coacting with applied pressure to effect such discharge, and there is therefore significant structural and operational differences between this prior art patent structure and the structure and mode of operation forming the subject matter of this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,019 is similar in its concept to U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,415 in that it teaches the broad concept of utilizing air and water to discharge waste materials, however the structure embodied by this patent to effect this end appears to be substantially different from the structure forming the subject matter of this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,962 teaches the concept of a partial water flush followed by an air flush but utilizes a structure significantly differently to accomplish this purpose.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,526 is directed specifically to an improved control system for actuating an air cylinder which controls the opening and closing with the flushing mechanism for a toilet bowl.
One of the disadvantages that has been noted in conjunction with prior art patent structures utilizing a combination of air and water to effect discharge of human waste products from toilet fixtures with a low volume of water has been the necessity of providing extraneous apparatus such as air compressors or air cylinders to supply the air required in the flushing operation. The necessity for such extraneous apparatus results in such systems being prohibitive in cost and inconvenient to install in already existing structures. Accordingly, one of the important objections of the present invention is the provision of an air-assisted flushing system for a flush toilet which does not require such extraneous apparatus.
It is well known that most residential, commercial, and industrial water systems to which toilet fixtures are connected operate at a pressure that is significant, say from 45 psi to 90 psi. Variations in the pressure are frequently controlled by appropriate pressure control valves inserted in the inlet line of the water source. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide an air-assisted flush toilet that utilizes water pressure in the water system to which the toilet is connected to provide a charge of compressed air which may be selectively utilized to assist the flushing operation.
Many homes include multiple numbers of toilets, each connected to a common source of water. Many flush-type toilets utilize from 61/2 to 8 gallons of water for each flushing operation. In recent times, it has been discovered that shortages of water for domestic use may be significantly alleviated by using less water in the flushing operation of toilet facilities. Accordingly, another object of this invention is the provision of a system incorporated into a toilet fixture to reduce the amount of water required in the flushing operation to approximately 2 quarts, thus achieving a saving of approximately 80% of the volume of water normally used in a conventional flushing operation.
Water has been designated as a natural resource that is in short supply. Since most existing residences, commercial establishments and industrial complexes are equipped with conventional toilet fixtures that utilize large volumes of water, another important object of the present invention is the provision of an air-assisted flush-type toilet that may be substituted for conventional toilets, and a control valve assembly that may be retrofitted on existing air-assisted toilet fixtures to thereby significantly decrease the use of water for the toilet flushing function.
In conventional toilets there remains in the bowl a quantity of contaminated water that constitutes a portion of the water that was left in the toilet trap after the last flushing operation. This contaminated water is mixed each time the toilet is flushed with the flush water released from the toilet tank or reservoir. The significance of this is that no matter how many times the toilet is flushed, the water that remains is a mixture of contaminated water and clean flush water. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a toilet structure in which all of the contaminated water, including waste materials, are flushed completely from the system so that whatever water remains in the base of the toilet constitutes clean uncontaminated water.
The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and described since it may be embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims.